News and commentary on the autism epidemic and my beautiful boy who is living with autism.

June 4, 2007

Vaccines Hearings PR Out of The Gate Early

This seems to have started Friday. Both sides are issuing press releases and conference calls and articles and such. With two weeks to go.

AUTISM FAMILIES KEEP CLOSE WATCH AS FIRST TEST CASE GOES TO VACCINE COURT

Washington, DC – The first test case of approximately 4800 claims that vaccines caused autism goes to federal court June 11th. Cedillo v. HHS will be heard by three special masters, part of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, established under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP).

Parents filed the claims after their children regressed into a diagnosis of autism following multiple rounds of vaccines, many of which were preserved with amounts of mercury that exceeded EPA guidelines.

Thimerosal’s inclusion as a vaccine component increased in the early 90’s, its rise mirroring the alarming rise in autism. Parents note their children’s symptoms of autism mimic mercury poisoning and many autistic children are now being successfully treated for mercury poisoning and damaged immune systems.

Earlier today, Ann Brasher, Board Member of the National Autism Association (NAA) stated, “I believe that NVICP will not provide the specialized medical care necessary for autistic children despite a favorable ruling for the plaintiffs. But the overwhelming evidence needs to be explored. The public deserves to know all the facts and the truth behind them.” Parents cite fatal flaws in the NVICP including:

* Families are forced to sue the government, which has no incentive to settle and can drag out cases for years while children go untreated. * Unlike civil court, there is no right to discovery in vaccine court and no jury trial. * The master denied access to vaccine company documents and CDC/HMO vaccine database records that would be routinely available in civil court. * Tax payers end up paying for pharmaceutical mistakes. No other industry is allowed unparalleled protection in a “Free Market” economy. * The massively profitable vaccine industry is not held liable, therefore has no incentive to create safe vaccines.

Several families who have waited years for justice and are willing to share stories of their children’s regression will be available for interviews during the hearings. For contact information, please write to naa@nationalautism.org.

What: Leading experts will brief reporters on the upcoming Omnibus Autism Proceeding, which is scheduled to begin June 11 at the U.S. Federal Claims Court in Washington, D.C. The Court will hold evidentiary hearings to determine whether autism should be deemed a possible vaccine-caused injury under the U.S. National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Just over 4,800 petitioners have filed claims alleging that vaccines caused their children's autism. The actions and decisions of the Court could have significant legal and public health implications.

RSVP: Please E-mail Amy Pisani (amyp@ecbt.org ) by Friday, June 1 and let her know whether you will be attending in person or by phone. The dial-in number is 1-866-463-5401 or 212-457-9857 and participant PIN code is 590870#.

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Every Child By Two, the Rosalynn Carter/Betty Bumpers Campaign for Early Childhood Immunization, works to ensure that all children receive timely immunizations and continues to seek methods to institutionalize vaccine delivery and insure access to vaccines for all children. For more information, please visit www.ecbt.org .

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a non-profit public organization dedicated to saving lives by stimulating the development and distribution of vaccines throughout the world. The Institute is committed to continuing the work of Dr. Albert Sabin, developer of the oral live virus polio vaccine, who envisioned the enormous potential of vaccines to prevent deadly diseases. To learn more, visit www.sabin.org .